


Expedite

by kiite



Series: Blackbirds and Beeforce [7]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, jack is straight in this sorry, no Angst really this is just the good nice stuff, oh also jack/carly is implied but not a major element
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:25:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22000126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiite/pseuds/kiite
Summary: Crow finds himself making multiple deliveries to the same address in a short span of time. Shinji finds himself placing frequent orders with the local delivery service. They both find themselves an unexpected friend.
Relationships: Crow Hogan/Shinji Weber
Series: Blackbirds and Beeforce [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/951051
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ok so a lot to say about this. basically it’s been sitting at 8k words unfinished for like . A REALLY long time (more than a year? Oh god nearly two I think oh man). This is apparent as I’m not even super active in the yugioh fandom anymore (though I still love ygo, and especially guardianshipping). However, I like the stuff I have written for it, and I’d rather share what I have than just never post it (as it may never be finished). 
> 
> This is not to say I 100% won’t finish it— I actually added a bit to the fourth chapter today (which isn’t finished so I won’t post it, just the first three) and I’ve been in general writing quite a bit again after somewhat of a slump. So there’s a definite chance I may actually finish this fic (though certainly not fast) cause I kinda have it planned to the end in my mind.
> 
> All that being said, no idea who’s even reading this cause guardianshipping doesn’t have the biggest crowd, but thanks for sittin thru this long note. Hope you enjoy!

"Blackbird delivery service!" Crow called out as he rapped his knuckles on the old, wooden door. The white paint was curling in some places, and the wood was splintered around the door handle. The small one-story house gave off the impression that a strong gust of wind could knock it over. All in all, nothing particularly out of the ordinary for one of Crow's deliveries. Blackbird delivery service was well known for both affordable prices and not asking questions.

After a few moments, the door handle turned and Crow was greeted by the face of a man that he guessed was around his age. He looked at Crow with curious, but not impolite, green eyes. His wild purple hair was streaked with dashes of blue, which Crow couldn't help staring at. A pleasant smile graced his face as he began to speak.

"Your reputation holds up, that was quite a quick delivery. I haven't been able to find these parts in stores anywhere." The man sounded genuinely happy as he signed the form Crow had handed him. Crow recognized his voice from the earlier phone call to place the order. He moved to hand the man his package and gave his typical "thanks for using our service". The man paid him, gave him a generous tip, and that was that. Crow returned to his D-Wheel and prepared to head back home. Unconsciously, his eyes wandered down to the signature on the form.

_"Shinji Weber, huh?"_

* * *

Contrary to what he expected, this was not the last time Crow saw him. Over the next few weeks, the man placed several orders, each for different and various parts and pieces. During his fourth delivery, Crow decided to disregard that "not asking questions" part of his motto. 

"You're ordering quite a few parts, huh? Got a busted D-Wheel or something?" Crow asked in a casual tone. He hoped the other man wouldn't find him rude or intrusive, but truthfully he was giving Crow more business than he'd had in a month. He couldn't help but wonder what the man needed all the parts for.

To his surprise, the man's smile grew bashful and he put a hand on the back of his neck. "Well... I'm building one, actually. From scratch. Never done it before, but I'd say it's coming along. Won't know 'til I can take it out, though." His gaze returned to Crow, likely trying to gauge his reaction.

Crow gave him a wide grin. "Oh, nice! Buddy of mine built his own D-Wheel too. Does tons of modifications and stuff on it... I'll be honest, a lot of it goes over my head." He let out a little embarrassed chuckle. "He's a great mechanic though. If you're ever in a bind, I'm sure he could help you out."

At some point, Crow realized that the sight of the man's smile made his heart flutter. He wanted to keep seeing that smile.

* * *

In his defense, it hadn’t been raining when he left the house. This is what Crow told himself as he pulled in front of Weber’s house, completely drenched. Sure, he could have checked the weather channel, or just looked at the clouds, but Crow wasn’t renowned for his foresight. He was renowned for his quick delivery, and he was determined to keep that, at least.

He knocked on the door with less vigor than usual. He didn’t realize until later that he never even let out his usual “Blackbird delivery service!” shout. The weight of his drenched clothes and feeling of being soaked through put a damper on any of his typical enthusiasm. When Shinji opened the door, however, Crow felt like the man at least deserved a friendly face, so he mustered the best smile he could.

“You… really didn’t have to come out in the rain like this. It’s coming down really hard. Is it even safe to drive?” The taller man was giving him a look of genuine concern, and Crow was startled by how different the man looked without his typical lazy smile.

“It wasn’t raining when I left.” Crow felt like an idiot the second the words left his mouth. He hadn’t wanted to sound dismissive or defensive; Crow had realized through these many deliveries how nice it was to have casual conversation with someone other than Yuusei or Jack, and he didn’t want to throw that away.

Luckily, he didn’t see any resentment or anger in Shinji’s eyes, just concern. He signed the form in silence and accepted the package. As Crow was turning back to his bike, the other man cleared his throat to get Crow’s attention.

“Would you like to, uh… come in? It’s really pouring, and I don’t think it’s very safe to be driving right now.” He gave Crow a once-over, and Crow suddenly felt self-conscious about how his shirt was so wet that it was borderline transparent. He pulled his yellow Blackbird Delivery jacket around himself a little more tightly.

“Also, I think you’ll definitely catch something if you’re out there like that.” The worry lining his face was replaced with a genuinely caring smile. His eyes met Crow’s again. “It’s really not any trouble. You can put your D-Wheel in the garage. Nobody should be outside right now.”

Crow was torn. His instincts were telling him that no matter how pleasant, he didn’t really know much about this man, and it was probably both impolite and unsafe to accept. He should get on his bike, drive home, get scolded by Yuusei for tracking water into the house, and go to bed. 

But he didn’t. He didn’t remember actually saying yes, but by the way that Shinji’s face lit up he figured he must have. He stepped out to help Crow roll his D-Wheel into the garage. Crow frantically tried to get him to go back inside and told him that he didn’t need to get wet as well, but Shinji just smiled and helped him anyway. Crow felt his face heating up despite the cold rain running down it.

Once in the garage, Shinji left to go grab some towels. Now alone, Crow pulled his helmet off and placed it gently on the seat of the Blackbird. How had he gotten here? Crow had never been very good at trusting. So why was he standing here in some handsome stranger’s garage?

Wait… Handsome?

“Sorry for the wait, they were still in the dryer, so-“ Shinji stopped mid-sentence as he stood in the doorway, looking at his guest with wide eyes. Crow was immediately afraid that he had somehow voiced his thoughts aloud. For a moment, they just stared at each other in silence. Then, Shinji raised a hand to his mouth in an attempt to cover up the bubbly laughter that had started to pour out.

“I’m- Shit, I’m sorry, I just- I didn’t- I’ve never seen your hair.” He paused to take a breath and compose himself. “That’s not- It’s different. From what I imagined, I mean.” He held up his hands defensively. “It’s not bad or anything! I don't have any room to talk; I’ve been told that my hair can be a little shocking…”

Crow felt that Shinji tacked on that last part due to his extended silence, but in truth, Crow was processing something he had said. Shinji had… imagined what his hair looked like? Really, it wasn’t that strange; Crow was always wearing his helmet, and he supposed it was only natural to wonder. But that didn’t explain why the thought made him so flustered.

"It's not the first time I've gotten that one. Would you believe me if I told you it was all natural?" Crow said with a playful smirk. He accepted the towel from Shinji and proceeded to dry off. Crow had to admit that it felt good to be somewhat dry again. His helmet had managed to keep his hair fairly dry, but Shinji's was soaked. Crow almost laughed at how comical his hair looked with all his sharp points drooping downwards.

Shinji shifted his eyes to a spot on the wall to the left of Crow and put a hand on the back of his neck, a gesture which Crow had come to understand meant he was either embarrassed or nervous. He rubbed his neck as he started to speak.

"I do need to warn you about one thing, though..." A sheepish grin broke out on his face, and he looked down to the floor. "Well... Three things I guess..."

Shinji was interrupted by the sound of a thump against the garage door, a muttered expletive, and the sound of several pairs of footsteps fleeing. Shinji just stared at the door for a few moments before turning his apologetic gaze on Crow. 

"Frank, Amanda, and Tanner. My kids."

Crow was certain he was unable to contain the look of surprise that must have painted his face in that moment. There was no way Shinji was older than 30, and he already had three kids? Through his haze of shock, Crow registered Shinji raising his hands in the same defensive gesture as earlier.

"H-hey, don't look at me like that! They're adopted!" Shinji's voice had raised in volume and he moved his hands to cover his face, clearly flustered by what he assumed Crow had been thinking about him. Crow chuckled a bit and smiled.

"Dude, I used to take care of like nine kids when I was seventeen. I'm not judging." Shinji lowered his hands from his face, but he was still blushing. The sound of rain pounding on the house outside filled the small garage. Crow realized how strange it was for him to reveal such a personal detail about his past, which he usually kept well-guarded. When he spoke with Shinji, he couldn't help but feel comfortable, like he'd known him for years.

"Um... I guess we should go in. It's kinda cold out here. Just..." Shinji paused to collect his thoughts. "They're really sweet kids, but they can be kind of overwhelming sometimes. If they're getting to be too much or anything, just tell them off." His smile returned as he turned to open the door. Suddenly, he froze.

"Oh. Oh no." Shinji turned back to back Crow, looking distraught. "I just realized, I didn't introduce myself. I didn't even ask your name... Sorry for being so rude, it just slipped my mind. I'm Shinji Weber- Wait, you probably already know that, since I keep placing orders. Sorry. Um..." He trailed off, clearly bothered by the idea of having appeared rude in front of his guest. Crow decided to take it upon himself to fix the situation.

"I'm Crow. Crow Hogan. Proprietor of Blackbird Delivery and pretty decent D-Wheeler, if I do say so myself." He added the last part with a self-assured smirk, and extended a hand to the other man. Shinji gladly took it and gave it a firm shake.

"Nice to meet you, Crow."


	2. Chapter 2

The inside of Shinji's home was as charming as it was humble. Though the furnishings were sparse, the house gave off the feeling that it was definitely lived in. Children's drawings were hung up on the walls and refrigerator, and Crow couldn't help but notice the small dents and chips and scuffs; all of which had their own stories. The best word Crow could think of to describe it was comfortable.

He was seated at an old wooden table in a small dining room. The smell of coffee drifted in from the kitchen, where Shinji was currently occupied. Crow had insisted that he didn't need to make him anything, but Shinji wouldn't take no for an answer, saying that he needed a drink to warm him up. Crow finally caved and requested a black coffee. In all honesty, he was rather into the idea of a warm drink.

The thing he found most difficult was figuring out how to deal with the three pairs of eyes watching him from around the corner of a wall. Any time Crow turned his head to look back at the children, they would disappear from sight, only returning when they were sure he wasn't looking anymore. He figured trying to speak to them would be futile too. As he contemplated the best course of action, Shinji entered the room and gingerly placed a tray carrying five mugs on the table. He handed Crow his designated mug with a smile, and then turned a stern gaze on three children.

"Come on out here, you three." The children hesitated, but eventually filed into the room and stood in front of Shinji. He took a seat on his chair and looked at them, still frowning slightly. "I want you to apologize to both me and Mr. Hogan for eavesdropping earlier. You all know better than that."

The kids looked down at their feet for a moment before turning to Shinji. "We're sorry for eavesdropping on you, dad." The red-headed girl said, and the other two echoed her. They all turned to Crow. "We're sorry, Mr. Hogan." they said in unison.

"Um... Just Crow's fine. Mr. Hogan makes me sound like a teacher or something. And, apology accepted." He gave them a smirk and leaned down a little, cupping a hand around his mouth as if to hide his lips from Shinji. "Just don't get caught next time." he whispered, winking. He saw Shinji give him a playful frown out of the corner of his eye and it only made his smirk grow wider. The kids looked up at him in surprise, and then gave little smiles of their own.

"Now that that's out of the way," Shinji said, getting everyone's attention, "You can have these." He moved to pass out the remaining three mugs on the tray, which Crow determined to be filled with hot chocolate. Crow noted that each mug was prepared slightly differently. The children happily accepted the mugs and took seats around the table. Crow raised his own mug to his lips and took a sip. He could see Shinji's signature smile over his mug and his heart started to pound.

Crow upended the mug and swallowed all the coffee in one go. Fuck, he was in real deep.

* * *

“Have you ever… been in love?”

Crow was laying sideways across the couch in their shared main room, staring at the high ceiling. Yuusei did not pause in his work on his D-Wheel to answer.

“Hm. Maybe. Not sure.” he said while concentrating on tightening a bolt. His answers were short but Crow knew he wasn’t being dismissive; he’d known Yuusei for long enough to understand nearly everything about the man. “You should ask Jack. Although, I think we both already know the answer.”

Crow considered his words. While it was true that Jack was pretty open about his affection for Carly, Jack was also foolish in just about everything he did, love included. Crow had never really gone to Jack for advice before, and he felt that this topic was not the one he wanted to start on.

“Pass.” was all Crow said, waving his hand in the air dismissively. They returned to the peaceful silence they had been in before. One thing Crow greatly appreciated about Yuusei was that he never pried into personal affairs. Crow figured that he was going to have to tackle this one himself.

It had been two weeks since the storm incident, and since then, Crow had delivered two more packages to Shinji. He could tell that something in their relationship had changed since that day, in a good way. Conversation seemed to come more easily, and Shinji always greeted him like an old friend. Crow would ask how the kids were doing, a topic Shinji was more than happy to indulge in.

Crow heaved a sigh and rolled over onto his stomach, resting his chin on the armrest. He needed to figure out exactly what kind of relationship he was hoping for with Shinji.

* * *

“You duel, right? I duel a little myself. Want to have a duel sometime? We can’t do a riding duel, but I think it could still be fun.”

Crow paused as he handed Shinji his newest delivery. He had never even considered that the man might be a duelist. Crow had always been better at expressing himself through dueling than words; maybe this was the opportunity he needed to sort out his feelings?

Crow shook himself out of his stupor and retracted his now empty hands. He gave the other man a confident smile. “You’re on. Gotta warn you though, I’m pretty good.”

Shinji blessed him with an excited smile, and took out a little planner. “Wednesday at two sound good to you?” he asked, unable to contain his enthusiasm. Crow couldn’t help feeling excited as well.

“Sure, see you then!” Crow called as he waved and mounted his D-Wheel. As he drove home, wind rushing past his face, he realized he hadn’t been this excited about a duel in a while.

* * *

“Crow’s been making a lot of deliveries lately.”

“Mhm.”

“I think they might all be to the same person. He’s been answering the phone differently. And his trips are always about the same length of time.”

“Hm.”

“Who places this many orders in such a short amount of time! Why not order it all at once! It seems suspicious to me.”

“Mm.”

“Won’t you indulge me in a real conversation for once, Yuusei? Crow could be getting mixed up in something unsavory.”

“Crow’s business, not mine.”

Jack chose to disregard this comment entirely and carry on his one-sided conversation. “I think I’m going to try to follow him next time he goes out.”

Yuusei looked up for the first time. “Don’t you have anything better to do?” He paused for a moment. “Oh, that’s right. You don’t. You never do.” An untrained eye wouldn’t catch the quirk of a smile on Yuusei’s lips.

Jack most certainly caught it, but still crossed his arms indignantly. “If there was a job out there fit for the King-“ “Former King.” “-favorite King, I would gladly take it. But until that day, I will not work with commoners who don’t appreciate my value.”

“You must be really bored to go after Crow.” Yuusei said, changing the subject back to the original topic.

Jack kept his arms crossed and tilted his chin upward. “I don’t appreciate your insinuation about my completely real concerns of Crow’s safety.”

“Whatever you do, just don’t get me involved.”

* * *

Wednesday seemed to come a lot faster for Crow than usual. He had been touching up his deck, and he felt ready to take on whatever Shinji could throw at him. Well, card wise. Crow was absolutely clueless as far as what to talk about today, and he was hoping he could respond to whatever conversation Shinji chose to start.

Upon arriving, Shinji led him into the dining room (“We can use the front door this time”, he joked) and took a seat. They both shuffled their decks in relative silence.

“Are the kids around?” Crow asked, fearing that they might still be wary of him and in hiding. Shinji laughed a little, seemingly picking up on Crow’s thoughts.

“Nah, they’re at school. I have to go pick them up at three-thirty, so unfortunately we won’t have time for a whole lot of rematches. And for the record…” Shinji leaned closer, as though preparing to tell Crow a secret. “…I think they like you. They keep asking when you’re going to visit again.” He smiled. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re great at first impressions?”

Crow practically reeled. That was a lot of information for him to process. First, the kids liked him! That's good, he didn't want them to be afraid of him. And then there was the other part. He was good at first impressions? No, nobody had ever really told him that. But the way Shinji had smiled as he said it made Crow believe that he wasn't just talking about his meeting with the kids.

Realizing that he hadn't said anything for probably a worrying amount of time, Crow muttered out an undignified "thank you" and focused his attention back on shuffling his deck. He didn't look up from his cards until Shinji put his deck on the table, indicating for Crow to cut it. He did so, and Shinji did the same for him. They drew their hands and the duel began.

Crow won the first two duels. He got the gist of Shinji's cards pretty quickly, and began to predict and counter most of Shinji's moves. That isn't to say they were easy wins; Shinji was a strategic and smart player, breaking Crow's combos multiple times. In the third match, Shinji got the better of Crow, finishing him off with Bee Force - Hama the Evil-Crushing Bow. As Crow sorted his graveyard back into his deck and extra deck, Shinji checked the clock.

"Well, I don't think we have time for another match, but I don't have to leave to get the kids quite yet." He looked back to Crow. "How about we just talk? For all the conversations we've had, we really don't know a lot about each other." With Crow's agreement, they both put their decks aside.

"Alright, since I suggested it, you can ask me a question first, if you'd like." Crow hadn't been prepared for this, and was struggling to think of a good question on the spot. So he went for a simple one instead.

"I can probably take a guess, but, uh, how old are you?" Shinji gave him a devious smile upon hearing the question.

"How old do you think I am?" he said, still smiling. Shit. Crow felt like there was no winning with this game unless he guessed spot on. He played it safe and guessed his own age, so even if he was wrong, he would have some sort of reason for his guess.

"Uh, twenty-one?" Shinji snapped his fingers and gave Crow a thumbs up. "Close! Twenty-two. You?"

"I'm twenty-one." Crow said, glad that his guess had been somewhat close. Shinji grinned playfully.

"Guessed your own age, huh? Way to play it safe!" Shinji propped his elbows up on the table and folded his hand beneath his chin. "But that wasn't exactly a good question for getting to really know each other, so I'll give you a freebie." 

Crow mulled it over for a while. He didn't want to ask anything  _ too  _ personal, and clearly basic questions like age or favorite colors were out of the question. 

"Why are you building a D-Wheel?" he asked with genuine curiosity. Crow could already guess a few possibilities, but he'd like to hear it from the man he'd been delivering the parts to himself. Shinji seemed to brighten at the question.

"Oh! That's an easy one. I've always loved watching riding duels; they seem so exciting and fun. So I've always wanted to have one." He smiled fondly, like he was recalling a good memory. "But I figured it wouldn't be as special if I didn't have a D-Wheel I could really call my own. I've been doing some mechanic work for around six years now, and I've been told I have a talent for building things. So one day I just decided to start making my own D-Wheel." His expression saddened by just a tiny bit, but Crow noticed. "Then... a lot happened. The kids came into my life, alongside some complications, and, well... I kind of abandoned my progress on it. It sat in my garage for a while... but after the Daedalus Bridge went up, and everything settled down, I decided to work on it again. And, well, that's why I've been ordering so many parts from you. I should probably figure out everything I need and order it all once, but, well..." Shinji trailed off, moving a hand to the back of his neck and avoiding Crow's gaze.

Crow wasn't entirely sure what to make of the implications of the last part. Was Shinji just the kind of person who dealt with problems as they came up, and was embarrassed about his lack of planning? Or could it be what Crow wanted to think, which was that perhaps... Shinji had wanted to see him again? The thought instantly made him flustered, and he dismissed it. He couldn't jump to that conclusion yet. Crow just nodded his head in understanding.

"There's nothing like having a D-Wheel you can call your own. And riding duels really are a lot of fun. I'm lookin' forward to the day we can have one ourselves." He meant every word of it; Shinji was a fantastic duelist who he truly wished to duel out on the course, in his element. Shinji seemed equally excited.

"Okay, my turn... Is Crow your real name?" There was a beat of silence, and then Shinji hastily attempted to backtrack, likely because of whatever expression Crow figured he must be making. "Oh shit, is that too personal? Fuck, my bad, dude. You don't have to answer or anything, I was just curious because of the whole-"

“It’s the only one I’ve got.” Crow said quietly, and he felt like his voice sounded weird. Shinji’s face was frozen with an expression that was equal parts intrigued and mortified. He took a breath and forced himself to go on, despite Shinji’s insistence that he didn’t have to. But… he wanted to. He wanted to let Shinji in; maybe not all at once, but he wanted to tell Shinji about himself.

“I was wandering around, picking through the garbage on Satellite like I usually did. That’s when I found my first cards: D.D. Crow and Crow Goblin. I couldn’t read them at the time, but I met up with some other kids who played, and eventually I learned how to read. I guess I just… really liked the look and sound of the characters, so I started going by that at some point.” He gazed out the nearest window thoughtfully. “As much as I’d like to know my birth name, I’ve grown quite attached to this one. It’s a big part of who I am, y’know?” He turned back to Shinji, giving him the best smile he could muster.

Shinji’s expression was gentle and sad. “Thanks for being honest with me… But I feel like I pressured you into answering, I really didn’t-“ Crow held up a hand to silence him.

“It’s really alright, dude. We wanted to know more about each other, yeah?” His smile felt a little easier to maintain as the guilt left Shinji’s face, replaced by something akin to gratitude. For a moment, they just looked at each other, reveling in the silence and newly forged bonds of trust. Then Crow caught the clock out of the corner of his eye.

“Don’t you need to go pick up the kids?”


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a little over three months since Crow's first delivery to the Weber household. In that short time, Crow felt like they had formed an extremely strong bond. Crow had come over on several occasions to duel and talk, and he felt like he had truly gotten to know Shinji and the kids. The problem was figuring out where he wanted to go next.

Crow would be lying if he said that he didn't feel anything romantically for Shinji; he knew he did, ever since his conversation with Yuusei. But if he said something, and Shinji didn't feel the same... Crow knew that something like that could potentially ruin their friendship, or at least damage it badly. That wasn't really a risk he wanted to take, but the feelings he had when he was around Shinji... he wasn't sure he'd be able to hide them forever. 

Today was another typical delivery. Just some more D-Wheel parts. But Crow felt a tightness in his chest, urging him to talk to Shinji about this; he deserved the same honesty he had been giving Crow. The tightness intensified when Shinji opened the door, and Crow seriously considered just putting it off for another day. 

The transaction was conducted mostly in silence. Shinji wasn't initiating any conversation, and Crow was far from the right headspace to do so himself. Before he knew it, it was done. Crow stood there awkwardly, not turning back to his bike, trying to figure out the right words. He finally mustered the courage to speak.

"Shinji I,-"

"Crow, there's-"

They both stopped and stared, embarrassed at having spoken over each other. For a moment, neither said anything, afraid of a repeat of the incident. After a pause, Crow gestured for Shinji to go on.

"A-are you sure? I mean, if your thing was really important, you can go ahead and-" Crow cut him off and reaffirmed his desire for Shinji to continue, which he did. "Well, it's just that... I really don't know how to say this. It's just, I feel like you're the best friend I've had in a while. I really like spending time with you, and so do the kids. You're- a really great guy. Super great. But there's something really important I need to tell you." Crow held his breath in anticipation, fearful of what could come next.

Shinji took a deep breath before continuing. "I, um... I like you. Like a lot. Like in more than a friend way." He wasn't meeting Crow's gaze, and the pace of his words picked up. "Fuck, I- that's probably- that's probably not something you want to hear. I don't know. I just feel like I need to be honest with you, and I'm sorry, and nothing has to change between us, but-"

Crow cut Shinji off by leaning forward and wrapping his arms around his neck. Shinji was startled, looking at Crow out of the side of his eye, worry apparent in his face. "You didn't even give me a chance to react, dummy." Crow whispered into Shinji's ear. He unhooked himself from around Shinji and leaned back, looking him in the eyes. "What do you think I was going to tell _you_ before you interrupted me?" Crow asked with a smirk.

Shinji's wide-eyed expression melted into one of pure happiness and awe. This time, Crow leaned in for a kiss, and Shinji was happy to oblige.

* * *

Jack grimaced as he pulled himself back down into the bushes. "Absolutely disgusting." he muttered, clearly annoyed. Jack had made his distaste for public displays of affection, or any affection for that matter, very well known in the past. He chose not to consider the fact that this display of affection was not at all _intended_ to be public, and that he was most certainly violating Crow's privacy. And the privacy of whoever he was making out with. 

When Jack had told Yuusei about his plan to follow Crow, he hadn't carried it out right away. He had decided to wait a little longer, and when Crow seemed to have a notable influx of deliveries to make, he made his move. This was his first time trailing Crow, but what he saw was... far from anything he suspected.

For some reason, the idea of Crow in a relationship had never occurred to Jack. While Jack was most often admonished out of the three of them for his lack of social skills and general aloofness, Crow wasn't exactly a social butterfly. He was stubborn, loud, and often oblivious; Jack just couldn't picture him with any sort of partner.

Part of him said that he absolutely should not go back and describe what he'd witnessed to Yuusei; both for the sake of Crow's privacy, and the fact that Yuusei almost certainly did not care. But regardless of how much they squabbled, and the different blood in their veins, Jack still viewed Crow as his little brother, and he knew Yuusei felt the same way. Which meant they would both need to assess the man courting their little brother, without letting Crow know, of course. Truly a mission fit for a king.

Jack slowly raised out of the bushes to get one last look of the man he would need to interrogate.

* * *

Crow pulled away first, still smiling and looking into Shinji's pretty green eyes. Shinji was breathless and blushing, but smiling nonetheless. Crow opened his mouth to say something when a flash of movement caught his eye. He turned to the line of bushes surrounding Shinji's yard. Shinji followed his gaze quizzically and started to question him, but Crow held a finger up to his own lips to silence him. Shinji took the hint and watched in silence as Crow lightly stepped over to the bushes.

In one swift movement, Crow plunged his arm into the bush, yanking a surprised Jack upwards with unexpected strength. The blonde was staring at Crow in shock, clearly not having expected to be caught. Crow was glad his back was to Shinji, because he was pretty sure his expression would terrify any sane man. Jack put on his neutral bored expression and pretended not to be affected by Crow's intense glare. He started to say something, when he was cut off by Shinji back on the porch.

"Is that... Jack Atlas, the former duel king? What's he doing in my bushes? Do you two know each other?" Shinji's face suddenly drew red as a realization dawned on him. "H-how long have you been watching?!" he asked, hiding his face behind his hands.

Crow did his best to compose himself before turning back to face Shinji. "Remember how I was telling you about my brothers?" Shinji nodded. "This is the shittier one."

Jack opened his mouth to protest, but stopped in his tracks when Crow turned back to him, glaring with a new level of intensity. Still lifting Jack by the front of his shirt, Crow yanked him closer to himself. "Don't say a fucking word." he whispered angrily. "We're gonna have a nice, long talk about a lot of things when we get home, but for right now, just fucking- don't say anything." Crow released his grip and Jack tumbled to the ground, mumbling profanities. Crow turned back to Shinji, an apologetic look in his eyes.

"I'm really sorry, Shinji. I need to go home and... deal with this." Crow sighed, gesturing to Jack. "But, I- Everything I said, I meant it. I want to talk to you a lot more about this... Can I come over tomorrow afternoon?" Shinji, still experiencing a mixture of shock and confusion, nodded weakly.

"Um... Y-yeah, sure. See you tomorrow." He cast one last worried glance at Crow, and then at Jack still sitting on the ground, and retreated back into his home. Once Crow was certain he was back inside, he glowered down at Jack. 

"Let's go." he said, barely repressing his urge to grab Jack again and punch him. Instead, he stalked back over to his D-Wheel and mounted it. He spared a quick glance to confirm that Jack was doing the same before driving off towards their shared home.

* * *

Yuusei could hear his brothers coming before they entered the house. He didn't look up from his work as the door was aggressively thrown open, followed by Crow and Jack stomping in, still arguing. The sound of their loud voices filled the living area, making Yuusei unable to concentrate. He sighed and set his tools down.

"Jack, you can't just- You can't fucking spy on people like that! What the fuck!" Crow was pulling on his own hair in frustration. He seemed like he was doing his best to stop himself from just screaming at Jack. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Jack had his arms crossed over his chest, an indignant look plastered on his face. He was looking up at the ceiling rather than at Crow. “You were being suspicious. I simply pursued the truth.” 

At this point, Crow lost his cool and leapt at Jack. Yuusei sighed again and stood up from his spot on the floor, making his way over to his quarreling brothers. He pulled Crow, who was still throwing angry, blind punches, off of Jack, who had been knocked to the floor by Crow. His younger brother was demanding to be released, likely so he could try to finish off Jack. Yuusei dragged Crow to the couch and sat him down. “Stay here,” he said in his usual monotone, walking away before Crow could protest.

He helped Jack off the floor and guided him to one of the lounging chairs. Yuusei then pulled up another chair from across the room, so they were sitting in a loose circle. He intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on his hands, looking from Crow to Jack. “Alright,” he said, sounding tired. “Let’s talk.”

Crow took the opportunity to jump in first, pointing an accusatory finger at Jack. “This bastard fucking followed me on one of my deliveries. And then he hid in the bushes, like a total creep, and eavesdropped on my conversation with my-“ Crow halted suddenly, thinking his next word through carefully. “…client.”

Jack adopted a smug smirk, looking at Crow with amusement. “Do you make out with all your ‘clients’? Is this a side job we don’t know about?” Crow was already standing before Jack finished his first sentence. Jack looked like he was ready for a fight as well. Yuusei felt like his patience was wearing thin.

“Sit down. We’re _talking_ , remember?” Crow and Jack looked to him, then back at each other, and begrudgingly sat back down. Yuusei leaned forward in his chair a little. “Jack, what you did was dumb and wrong. In all fairness, I probably should have tried a little harder to stop you.” Yuusei turned to face Crow. “Sorry, but he told me about his plan in advance. To be completely honest, I didn’t really think he was going to act on it. But nonetheless, it was irresponsible for me not to do anything about it.” He leaned back slightly, looking at both of them. “Can we talk civilly now? I don’t know if I have the strength to pry you off Jack again, Crow.” Yuusei added with a little laugh.

“Sorry… You’re right, I might’ve overreacted a little. I was just really mad.” Crow looked up at Jack, who was staring back at him with his unreadable neutral expression. “And, uh… sorry for that punch I landed on you while we were fighting.” Jack said nothing, just moved his hand to rub gently at the spot on his cheek that was already starting to bruise. After a few long seconds, he looked away and muttered, “Sorry for spying on you, I guess.” It was a lukewarm apology at best, but Crow took it; it was better than what he expected to get out of Jack.

Yuusei gave a tiny smile. “Alright, now that we’re not at each other’s throats…” he turned to Crow with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “…Tell me about this ‘client’.” Crow instantly reddened again and looked at Yuusei with something between anger and incredulity. 

“Yuusei! I thought you were on my side!” Crow whined.

“I’m not on anyone’s side. I’m just curious.” Yuusei answered slyly.

Crow, realizing there was no winning in this situation, sighed before leaning back into the couch. “Fuck it. Fine.” He tilted his head towards the ceiling and put an arm over his face. “His name’s Shinji. I’ve been delivering to him for like three months now. And, uh, I guess... I ended up getting to know him pretty well? He’s really nice, and sweet, and a great duelist. And today, I finally decided to confess to him, but he kinda ended up doing it first.” He smiled a little, then grimaced. “That’s about when I realized Jack was there and the moment was totally ruined.”

Jack scoffed and crossed his legs. “I was already leaving by then; you could have just let me leave and kept making out with your hot new boyfriend.” 

“Hot?” Yuusei asked, quirking his brow.

“I may be straight, but I’m not blind, Yuusei.”

Crow burst out laughing, drawing both their gazes. He was doubled over laughing, reaching a hand up to his face to wipe away tears. Eventually, he calmed down enough that he could catch his breath. “Sorry, I’m just- I can’t even be mad at you dumbasses.” He sat up a little straighter and looked between them. “To be honest, I wasn’t really sure how this conversation would go. Not that I thought it’d be a huge deal or anything, but I hadn’t even really considered how I’d come out to you guys. I figured you probably wouldn’t care too much, so maybe I was just planning to not mention it until I brought home a boyfriend or something one day. Thank god I have a shitty older brother to stalk me so I don’t even have to really come out.” Crow added the last remark with a heavy tone of sarcasm, but he was still smiling. 

“Glad you found someone who can tolerate your attitude,” Jack said with a smirk.

“You’ll have to invite your secret boyfriend over sometime, so he doesn’t think I’m as creepy as Jack.” Yuusei added.

“I hate you guys so much.” Crow laughed, burying his face in his hands.

* * *

Crow kept his promise and returned to Shinji’s house the next day. He was nervous, but he felt like all the things he had been worrying about for the past few weeks had disappeared. He knew that the kids were at school right now, so he and Shinji could speak openly. Crow realized that they would probably have to talk to the kids about this eventually, but he had no idea how that conversation would go.

Shinji greeted him warmly at the door and led him inside to the living room. Crow sat down on his couch while Shinji went to the kitchen to retrieve the coffee he had been brewing. The smell was starting to feel like home to Crow.

Soon Shinji returned, carrying two differently colored mugs. He sat down in a chair across from Crow and passed him the black mug, taking the blue one for himself. For a few minutes, they sat in a comfortable silence, sipping their coffee and enjoying the moment. Once he had finished around half his coffee, Crow set his mug down and decided to start the conversation.

“Shinji… These past few months, I’ve been happier than I have been in a long time. I look forward to getting calls from you, and dueling you, and just hanging out. And when we talk, I feel like I can tell you anything…” Crow smiled, feeling much less nervous than when he arrived. The gentle and anticipatory look Shinji was giving him was definitely helping.

“I’ve never really been in a serious relationship, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared. I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’m willing to give it a try if you’re with me.” He reached his hands across the table, and Shinji took the hint, setting down his mug and extending his own hands so that Crow could lock their fingers together. “I like you a lot, Shinji. A whole lot.”

Shinji squeezed his hands a bit and smiled broadly. “Same here- to all of it, I mean. I’m just… I’m so happy. That you feel the same way. Damn, I feel like I’m not very good at this…” He laughed a little, dipping his head down but still smiling happily. Still holding Crow’s hands. When he met Crow’s eyes again, Crow could clearly see all his feelings reflected back in the other man.

So this was what being in love felt like.


End file.
